Steinbeck’s work quite appropriately became a classic despite the efforts to suppress it, and its inspiration and message — righteous outrage at injustice — thus continues to be spread to every generation of young people who read it. It certainly informed my early political development, and I am happy to know that it continues to be the incubus for democratic social consciousness, much more so than the works of Upton Sinclair, which dealt with similar themes, but have not aged as well.

On this anniversary, I’m glad to see it is being not only recalled for its historic value, but for how its theme speaks to the current economic crisis.

In this sense then, The Grapes of Wrath is a prophetic novel, rooted in the economic and environmental tragedies of the Great Depression, but speaking just as directly to the harsh realities of our own time.

At this moment of global economic meltdown, when the whole world is gripped by severe financial recession (much of it caused by rapacious greed, fiscal malfeasance, and corporate arrogance), when groups around the globe are in migration from one kind of tyranny or another, when the gap between rich and poor seems insurmountable, and when homelessness and dispossession caused by widespread financial failure and mortgage foreclosure is rapidly rising in the US and elsewhere – symbolised by shantytowns and tent cities on the outskirts of major metropolitan areas – then it is fitting to think of The Grapes of Wrath as our contemporary narrative, our 21st Century jeremiad.

But Steinbeck can still say it best. From Chapter 19:

“And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.”

Emphasis mine.

You know how, in mid-February, everyone is going, “Jeez, another day off??? How’s a person supposed to get any work done around here?”

And everyone (okay, just me probably) is always going, “I need a holiday in August. Why can’t someone born in August do something so great that we shouldn’t have to work in honor of them?”

Barack Obama was born on August 4. I’m just sayin’.

The usual caveat about History Channel broadcasts applies. I haven’t seen these yet, so can’t vouch for any of it. All times Central.

The Presidents – 8 part series
If you’re going to catch all 8 parts, you probably want to rev up the Tivo. The best time to record would be the commercial-free History in the Classroom airing at 5 AM (Jan 19-23, Feb. 17-19).

• Part 1, 1789-1825: Monday, January 19 5:00 AM, 12:00 PM & 06:00 PM,
• Part 2, 1825-1849: Monday, January 19 07:00 PM & 11 PM, Tuesday, January 20 5:00 AM
• Part 3, 1849-1865: Tuesday, January 20 12:00 PM & 6 PM, Wednesday, January 21, 5:00 AM
• Part 4, 1865-1885 Tuesday, January 20 07:00 PM & 11:00 PM, Thursday January 22 5:00 AM
• Part 5 1885-1913. Wednesday, January 21 12:00 PM & 06:00 PM, Friday January 23 :00 AM
• Part 6 1913-1945. Wednesday, January 21 07:00 PM & 11:00 PM, February 17 5:00 AM
• Part 7 1945-1977. Thursday, January 22 12:00 PM & 06:00 PM, February 18 5:00 AM
• Part 8 1977-Present. Thursday, January 22 07:00 PM & 11:00 PM, February 19 5:00 AM

After cutting and pasting all that and getting confused myself, I found a better presentation of the schedule for The Presidents at Zap2It, although it doesn’t show the Feb. dates for the final three episodes for History in the Classroom. (make sure you have your time zone selected on the top of the Zap2it page).

FDR: A Presidency Revealed: Part 1.
* Tuesday, January 20 08:00 PM; Wednesday, January 21, 12:00 AM

No sign of when Part 2 might follow.

There are a bunch of other president-themed programs this week, including Lincoln mythology, John Wilkes Booth, the Kennedy Assassination, Air Force One, etc, but some of them sound hokey and I probably won’t seek them out.

You can turn off the TV and go to the History Channel website to browse a section on presidential history, including Lincoln’s Bible, on which Barack Obama will be sworn in Tuesday, and recent inaugural addresses. Or study all 44 American Presidents.

In light of President Obama’s realization of Dr. King’s dream, I’m putting this in the presidential category for inauguration week:

King
Sunday, Jan. 18
Martin Luther King is remembered with a rebroadcast of King, a documentary from last year (I think).

• Sunday, January 18 08:00 PM
• Monday, January 19 12:00 AM
• Monday, January 19 10:00 AM
• Monday, January 19 04:00 PM
• In two parts without commercials on January 29 and 30 at 5:00 AM as part of History in the Classroom

The History Channel store is having an Inauguration special, with 30% off and $1 shipping — through the 21st. Sound like it might be a good time for me to order The Universe, Seasons 1 and 2. I also liked Black Blizzard, about the Dust Bowl, and would like to share it with other hopelessly geeky Oklahomans. I already bought myself a birthday present, so let’s call this a Farewell to Bush present, shall we?

Finally, it is about over. Just two days, and we can watch watch his chickenhawk ass get out of our White House and our Capital City. Bush and his accomplices will continue to try to whitewash his “legacy” but they will fail. The best George W. Bush can hope from history is eternal ignominy. With an iota of justice applied, he will be tried and condemned to a life sentence for war crimes. But even that would not be all he deserves.

I was literally leaning over the car radio and barely able to do my errands while listening, frustrated when I had to leave the car. So I am overjoyed to have found the full (?) Hard Times interviews with Mary and Peggy, and many others, on studsterkel.org. Bless the Internet!

Terkel interviewed hundreds of people across the United States for his book on the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1973, he selected several interviews that were included in his book to be broadcast in eleven parts on the Studs Terkel Program on WFMT radio (Chicago, IL). This gallery includes the interviews in those programs.

Terkel questions people about their recollections of employment problems, the crash of 1929, organized labor issues, “farm holidays” where crops were destroyed, and U.S. President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. He asks them how they managed financially and personally through the economic slump and what personal qualities surfaced as a result. In particular he seems interested in exploring the relationship between their personal plight and values and their awareness of national issues and society’s values.

Mary’s husband was a bonus marcher in 1931, and from what she says about him, he suffered from what we now call PTSD from being a machine gunner in WWI. She explained that there was a big oil boom in Oklahoma in the 20′s, bringing folks from all over to work. Then the crash came and depression went on and on as Hoover did nothing. The suffering was just horrendous, and these interviews really give the listener a sense of what it was like for the migrants, the homeless, the hungry children.

Mary and Peggy talk about not just poverty and hunger, but their personal feelings about despair, economic injustice, and racism. Their stories are so compelling and demonstrate why Studs Terkel, who understood their value and was so skilled at these kind of interviews, received the acclaim he did, in life as well as death.

But the stories are most inspiring because of the examples of kindness and community spirit that were so often found with, or maybe because of, the overwhelming want. Peggy says that there was a community garden in OKC where the residents of a Hooverville grew fresh food. And some of the better off people did share what they could. Mary tells how a black family gave them a ride, and, since they could not eat in restaurants because of Jim Crow laws, they brought food with them, stopping to prepare and eat it. When Mary describes that meal that was shared with her, you can still hear how fondly she remembers it, how good the chicken, sweet potatoes and biscuits tasted.

You know people talk with tangents that are sometimes more interesting that their main point, and in one such aside, Mary tells of being in Montgomery, Alabama, during the bus boycott, and seeing Martin Luther King Jr. being beaten on the sidewalk near the jail. This episode isn’t depression era, but helps to give you an even broader sense of her fascinating life.

Peggy (the daughter) at one point makes one of the most moving cases against racism I’ve ever heard, while recounting her own transformation in thinking about blacks.

And she talks about how much she identified with the epic story of noble migrants, The Grapes of Wrath.

… just like my life. I never was so proud of poor people before … Just reading that book has made me a better person. I think that’s the worst thing our system does to people is to take away their pride, and it prevents them from being a human being. And they’re wondering why Harlem and why Detroit and they’re talking about troops and ‘law and order.’ You’ll get law and order in this country when people are allowed to be decent human beings and be able to walk in dignity…

Well, I could go on and on, but your time would be better spent listening to the recordings yourself. The Hard Times page has many I’ll explore later, but here are the ones of Mary Owsley and Peggy Terry (they aren’t in order on the page like they are here):

• Interview with Mary Owsley – Part 1
• Interview with Mary Owsley – Part 2
• Interview with Mary Owsley – Part 3
• Interview with Mary Owsley – Part 4
• Interview with Peggy Terry – Part 1
• Interview with Peggy Terry – Part 2

The show was Black Blizzard.

Take a front row seat on a period of U.S. history from 1930-1940 when America’s heartland was ravaged by a weather phenomenon that became known as a “black blizzard.” Watch as scientists and special effects experts recreate the black blizzards in amazing detail and reveal that this was a man-made disaster. Discover how these phenomena form, what they’re made of, and how they affect people’s health and the environment. Learn how a black blizzard emerged so ferociously that it seemed like a moving mountain range creating enough static electricity to power New York City. Hear the story of the people who refused to leave their land and learn the history of the Great Plains and how it came to be settled.

Rating: TVPG

Running Time: 120 minutes

Since I started in the middle, and fell asleep before the end, I will be catching one of the upcoming repeats of the show.

• Thursday, November 13 08:00 AM
• Thursday, November 13 02:00 PM

Note: times shown may be Eastern, the site doesn’t say this far in advance.

In fact, the vast majority of Oklahomans impacted by the storms did not leave the state — the show explains that those who made it to California wrote back that they didn’t encourage anyone to follow their example, so bad were the conditions and the treatment in migrant camps.

Which reinforces my friend Rachel’s insistance that real Okies “don’t quit.”

In the preview video — which took my breath away — Sean Penn’s Harvey and Josh Brolin’s Dan White are so realistic it’s scary. And there aren’t a lot of directors that I would trust implicitly to bring Harvey to life, but fortunately one of them, Gus Van Zant, made this picture.

If you are not acquainted with story of this martyred civil rights pioneer, you should use the time until this fictional account comes out (sometime in November) to check out the biography written by the late Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street, and the Oscar winning documentary film, The Times of Harvey Milk. I’ve watched that film over 20 times, and I still cry every time. The silent vigil down Mission Street on the night of his death is something every citizen should see, and every activist should study. It symbolizes the very best of America in response to the very worst.

Some works of art are timed perfectly, either by accident or design, to provide an emotional and social lodestone in a culture. If Barack Obama wins this election, and he seems poised to do so, I think we can begin a new, positive and exciting chapter in the American story. Harvey Milk opened such a chapter years ago, and the film can help provide a reference point, a political roadmap of sorts, as we go forward into the future with our first black president.

Harvey talked repeatedly about the importance and power of hope, but it was more than just talk — which is why he was successful as a leader. Just like Obama. Opponents criticize such collective energy at their peril, now, as then.

Click play to see painting recreated.

Artist: Vimagi | painting | Just Do it.

I knew quite a bit about him already, but learned just how much he influenced the great social and environmental justice movements of the past 70 years. The Power of Song is a perfect name for the film, because Seeger’s belief in song as a participatory medium for social action led his life and transformed history and consciousness across the planet.

This is really required viewing by anyone interested in American history and/or social movements.

Here are the upcoming broadcasts on OETA out of Oklahoma City. As they say, check your local listings.

Friday, February 29, 2:00am

Monday, March 3, 12:59am

Monday, March 3, 2:00am

Tuesday, March 4, 2:00am

“Route 66: The Mother Road Journey – Past, Present, and Future”

“Rt. 66: The Mother Road” Official Oklahoma Centennial Series – Year 5

September 20-November 1, 2007
Anthony Ross- “Signs of the Road: Route 66”
This exhibit features original paintings and limited edition prints of historic and neon signs from the journey of Route 66. The original works were created by nationally renowned artist Anthony Ross for our “Rt. 66: The Mother Road” Oklahoma Centennial Series. Ross resides in Anaheim Hills, California, and exhibits around the United States, including at the Oklahoma City Arts Festival. For more information about the Anthony Ross Studio & Gallery visit website www.ross-art.com.

November 1, 2007
Luncheon presentation “Route 66 Today” by Michael Wallis
Meet nationally recognized artist Anthony Ross and author Michael Wallis during this presentation, which will be in RCC’s Conference Center. Books and artwork will be available for purchase. For more information about Michael Wallis, please visit http://www.michaelwallis.com.

Schedule:

10-11 am – John Dwyer Speaks at a pre- Luncheon lector about “1930’s- Dust Bowl” in Oklahoma in the RCC Conference Center.

11 am-12 noon – Viewing in the gallery and book purchasing (RCC’s bookstore will have the Wallis books for sale before Nov. 1, have a table set up on Nov. 1, and have books for sale through the month of Nov.)

Noon-12:45 pm – Luncheon and music by Brian Dunning and the Rockabilly Trio

12:45-2 pm – Michael Wallis presentation

2-3 pm – Artist reception, book signing, and music by Brian Dunning and the Rockabilly Trio

November 2, 2007
“Route 66 Today” bus tour with Michael Wallis
(SOLD OUT)

A bus tour will feature highlights of Oklahoma Route 66 in centennial fashion. A small fee of $57. 00 per person for the tour and lunch is required. To sign up please contact Kincaid Tours & Travel at 405-324-9888 or www.kincaidcoach.com.

A link to the kincaid poster for the event is as follows: http://www.kincaidcoach.com/user_uploads/flyer.pdf

Highlights for the day:

The renowned author and celebrity Michael Wallis will offer one-of-a-kind stories and interesting facts about the historic Route 66 Highway, along with music and videos throughout the day. Wallis’ narrations are a must-hear for everyone from Route 66 experts to first time enjoyers. From seeing the sights to visiting with Michael Wallis, voice of the sheriff from the movie “Cars”, this is a once in a lifetime experience for anyone.

Tour schedule:

~8 am – depart from Redlands Community College

~Head east via Interstate 40 to OKC/ music, film, storytelling in route

~Depart I-44 east of OKC and go north to Arcadia turnoff, Route 66

~Stop and tour site of POPS (http://www.pops66.com), the Round Barn at Arcadia (www.oklatravelnet.com under Route 66 videos)

~Proceed east on Route 66

~See Rt. 66 at Seba Station, Depew, and Stop to visit the local Chandler Museum

~Stop to eat Lunch at Rock Café in Stroud (Lunch included in bus trip cost, including oatmeal pie)

~Pause/drive-by at Shoe Tree and other roadside sites before Tulsa

~Arrive Tulsa

~Tour of “Secret Sites,” including art deco gems, outlaw hideouts, Cain’s Ballroom, Brady Arts District (www.oklatravelnet.com under Route 66 videos), and Blue Dome District (www.oklatravelnet.com under Tulsa videos)

~Return between 5 and 6 pm